Pivoting and reversibly expanding-contracting transfer conveyor for food process lines

ABSTRACT

A transfer conveyor for food process lines is equipped with hardware to enable pivoting in place and other hardware to enable and reversible expansion and contraction of the transfer conveyor, or at least the upper, food-product carrying run of the endless conveyor belt therefor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/478,822, filed Mar. 30, 2017; U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/545,634, filed Aug. 15, 2017; U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/560,392, filed Sep. 19, 2017; U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/577,375, filed Oct. 26, 2017; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/648,613, filed Mar. 27, 2018. The foregoing patent disclosures are incorporated herein by this reference thereto.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to mechanized and/or automatic food-process line equipment and, more particularly, to a pivoting and reversibly expanding-contracting transfer conveyor for food process lines.

A non-limiting example of a food process line might comprise the following series of machines in a line. Let's assume that the food product is chicken tender pieces which are going to pre-dusted with spices and perhaps flour, dipped in batter and bread-coated twice, then fried. Hence the given food process line might comprise the following series of machines:—

-   -   a loader of (typically raw) food product;     -   a transfer conveyor (ie., the first);     -   a tumbling pre-dust coating machine;     -   a transfer conveyor (the second);     -   a batter coating machine;     -   a tumbling bread crumb coating machine;     -   a transfer conveyor (the third);     -   another batter coating machine;     -   another tumbling bread crumb coating machine;     -   a transfer conveyor (the fourth); and     -   a fryer (and likely a freezing and packaging process too).         In the above example, there are four transfer conveyors. In this         example, each transfer conveyor is attended by perhaps six         workers (eg., three on each side) who ‘style’ and ‘grade’ the         food product on the transfer conveyor as the food product         transits along.

In the industry, ‘styling’ refers to (among things) spreading the individual pieces of the food product evenly across the transfer table such that the individual pieces are not touching another piece and are otherwise organized in a relatively neat array. ‘Grading’ means picking out pieces which do not meet a quality or specification criteria (eg., too big, too little) and discarding the piece.

It will be noticed in the above example that, the transfer conveyors follow dry coating processes, not wet ones (eg., the two batter coating machines). There is a preference to not have the workers grade and style product immediately after a wet coating processes, because it is too messy, but instead just do it after dry coating processes.

One aspect of operating food process lines is that, since the output of the line is headed out into the public food supply, the food process line is subject to various inspectors including government inspectors (typically USDA). If the food process line is found to fail an inspection, all the food product outputted by that food process line is likely to be subject to recall:— or that is, all the food product outputted since the last washing of the food process line.

So if the food process line is washed once a week, and the failure determination is made at the end of the week, then a whole week's worth of output product has to be recalled.

In contrast, if the food process line is washed nightly, then the worst case scenario is that any recall will be limited to one day's worth of output product.

Hence, in choosing how frequently to wash, there is a balance of equities such as follows:—

-   -   run the food process line for as long as practical to optimize         run time vs. down time (ie., down time as for performing washing         operations);

versus,

-   -   wash frequently to reduce the risk of having a huge recall.

It is an object of the invention to provide improvements for decreasing the downtime for washing operations, thereby increasing the appeal of washing frequently.

A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of preferred embodiments and examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

There are shown in the drawings certain exemplary embodiments of the invention as presently preferred. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed as examples, and is capable of variation within the scope of the skills of a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pivoting and reversibly expanding-contracting transfer conveyor in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation view of the endless conveyor belt therefor, shown in an expanded position;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevation view comparable to FIG. 2 except showing the endless conveyor belt in a contracted position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view, partly in section, taken in the direction of arrows IV-IV in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged-scale section view taken along line V-V in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view comparable to FIG. 1 except showing the transfer conveyor in accordance with the invention situated between two machines which do not pivot and showing the transfer conveyor in accordance with the invention pivoted obliquely away from the main axis of the food process line;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged-scale end elevational view taken in the direction of arrows VII-VII in FIG. 1, with middle portions broken away; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged-scale side elevational view taken in the direction of arrows VIII-VIII in FIG. 1, partly in section and with portions to left broken away.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-8 show a pivoting and reversibly expanding-contracting transfer conveyor in accordance with the invention for food process lines.

The transfer conveyor comprises a carriage, a turret and pivot hardware interconnecting the carriage and turret. The carriage is meant to be stationed as securely as possible in one fixed position in a food process line. The drawings show the carriage riding on a rail by U-notched wheels or casters which have locks to prevent rolling or any movement whatsoever, to the extent practical.

The turret comprises spaced side panels spaced between a relatively solid bottom panel and a table plane which is characterized by parallel, longitudinally-elongated and laterally-spaced slide bars. There is a multiplicity of laterally extending rods, bars and/or axle shafts which extend between the spaced side panels, and give them rigidity. A subset of these comprise laterally extending course-changing means for stretching an endless conveyor belt in a circuit around such course-changing means. Example course-changing means include without limitation rollers, pulleys or non-rotating nose bars and so on.

The endless conveyor belt is preferably a wire mesh belt. Correspondingly, the slide bars defining the table plane comprise low friction synthetic or polymeric materials.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show better that the endless conveyor belt courses a circuit comprising an (upper) food carrying run, a (lower) return run, and opposite sideways-V shaped pleat runs. The belt courses around ten course-changing means that are idlers, and then an eleventh driven one. These course-changing means can take any of a wide variety of designs. The preferred design here is an elongated central shaft with a series of sprockets spaced apart on the shaft. For brevity's sake, these are called rollers in this description. The ten idler rollers are arranged in symmetric pairs. The eleventh, driven roller centered in the middle of the return run. The ten rollers arranged in symmetric pairs consist of five rollers on each end of the transfer conveyor, each having an opposite counterpart on the other end of the transfer conveyor. The food carrying run extends between opposite nose rollers. Below and inside of the nose rollers are a pair of leveling rollers which ensure that the belt turns smoothly around the respectively proximate nose roller. Below and inside of the leveling rollers are a pair of opposite pleat-forming rollers. Below and outside of the pleat-forming rollers are a second pair of nose rollers except in service of the return run of the belt. Finally, there are a pair of auxiliary rollers for the return run which flank the lone driven roller to ensure good meshing between the driven roller and the belt.

Each upper nose roller and the pleat-forming roller on the same end of the transfer conveyor are mounted in common between a pair of brackets. The brackets are movable in a plane coplanar with the upper, food-product carrying run between extended and retracted extremes. FIG. 2 shows both pair of brackets (only brackets in the foreground are in view) in their extended extreme position. FIG. 3 shows both pair of brackets (only brackets in the foreground are in view) in their retracted extreme position.

The turret is provided with two pair of elongated rack gears just underneath each of the two pair of brackets.

The pair of laterally-spaced sidewalls of the turret is provided with a pair of opposite longitudinally-elongated slots. Traveling back and forth in these elongated slots are the axles of a pair of opposite pairs of hand cranks that rotate in journals or bushings for them in the brackets. These cranks turn corresponding pinion gears for meshing with respective ones of the rack gears. Turning the hand cranks causes the pinion gears to move traveling brackets back and forth on extension and retraction strokes, causing the transfer conveyor to expand and contract between expanded and contracted extremes.

Again, FIG. 2 shows the expanded extreme and FIG. 3 shows the contracted extreme. Each pair of brackets carries the respective nose roller for the upper, food-product carrying run of the conveyor belt between extended and retracted extremes. Each pair of brackets furthermore carries the respective pleat-forming roller on the same extension and retraction stroke as the proximate nose roller for the upper, food-product carrying run of the conveyor belt. That way, the conveyor belt is never slack when cycled between the expanded and contracted extremes for the transfer conveyor.

Each bracket is affixed with an inner pinion gear, which is an idler compared to the crank pinion gear but helps assist in truing the travel of the bracket. Hence each pair of brackets move along extension and retraction strokes in tandem with the respectively proximate nose roller, the respectively proximate pleat-forming roller, and the respective hand crank and axle therefor.

Hence the crank, the traveling bracket, the nose roller, the pleat-forming roller move back and forth as a unit when one end of the transfer conveyor is in transition between a contracted state and an expanded state.

In use, the transfer conveyor would typically be deployed between two machines while the transfer conveyor is in the expanded state. However, when contracted to the contracted state, FIG. 6 shows that the transfer conveyor can be pivoted to an oblique angle relative the main axis of the food process line, and without have to move (eg., shift apart) either of the machines immediately upline or downline from the transfer conveyor.

This is time-saving aspect of the invention, that the whole process line does not have to be broken apart merely to pivot the transfer conveyor for maintenance and/or washing operations. Pivoting the transfer conveyor as shown in FIG. 6 gives workers better access for washing operations to all of:—

-   -   the transfer conveyor,     -   the machine immediately upline from the transfer conveyor, and     -   the machine immediately downline from the transfer conveyor.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show better the pivot hardware for the transfer conveyor. The carriage has a plate with a cylindrical well recessed into the top of it. A cylindrical busing of low-friction synthetic or polymeric material is set into this well. The bushing is preferably made of the same material as the slide bars. The turret has a bottom plate that rests on top of the bushing. The function of a pivot pin is served by a T-headed fastener which has a shank that is a smooth cylinder for the half of it proximate the T-head and then threaded for the distal half. The plate of the carriage is provided with a threaded socket in the center of the cylindrical recess. The bushing and the plate of the turret are provided with smooth bores for aligning with the threaded socket of the carriage. Hence the T-headed fastener not only serves as the pivot pin for the pivoting of the turret but also the locking means for locking the turret stationary relative the carriage.

It is preferred if the turret can pivot in full 360° revolutions. However, it sufficient if the turret can pivot between much smaller arc extremes, including oblique angles of say 25° or 45° and so on.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a further functionality of the transfer conveyor in accordance with the invention. As described previously, the turret has at least one sidewall provided with cranks that crank out or crank in the brackets carrying the nose rollers for the upper, food-product carrying run of the conveyor belt. As FIGS. 7 and 8 show, that sidewall is provided with a second set of pairs of hand cranks, one pair proximate each end of the turret. These second sets of hand cranks adjust the upper, food-product carrying run of the conveyor belt anywhere between level or with positive or negative tilt. In fact, the upper, food-product carrying run of the conveyor belt can be adjusted such that one half of it ramps up from the intake end to a crest and the second half of it ramps down to the discharge end. The arc extremes of these angles are not great but it does help the transfer conveyor to bridge between machines design for operating on dissimilar conveyor planes.

Given the foregoing, the advantages of the invention include without limitation the following.

A plurality of transfer conveyors can be interspersed in the food process line between much heavier machines. The transfer conveyors will afford the opportunity for a team of workers to ‘style’ and ‘grade’ food product as the product exits one machine and prepares to enter an ensuing machine. Moreover, the pivoting and reversibly expanding-contracting transfer conveyor affords several further advantages.

One is, shortening the turnaround time between being online for running food product, and being offline for washing. Previously, all the separate machines of the food process line would have to be spaced apart for washing operations.

Washing operations can be imagined as teams of firefighters with fire hoses spray blasting each machine with a heated solution of sanitizing agents. Washing the food process line previously had to have the following happen:—

-   -   1—manually moving each machine out of the careful alignment with         each other;     -   2—manually separating the machines in order to allow, in         particular, the spraying into and through the tunnels of the         coating machines; and then     -   3—manually reassembling the food process line;     -   4—which importantly includes, carefully re-aligning all the         equipment with respect to each other.

The transfer conveyor comprising a stationed carriage, a reversibly expanding and contracting food product carrying run of the belt conveyor, which is mounted inside a pivoting turret:— offers the following advantages.

To begin a washing operation, no machine has to moved off its parked position of careful alignment. The transfer conveyor allows the nose ends of its food carrying run to be contracted from expanded positions. With the functionality of the pivoting turret, the food carrying run can be pivoted with free clearance of the both machines on either side of the transfer conveyor.

The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoing variations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limited to the variations specifically mentioned, and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing discussion of preferred examples, to assess the scope of the invention in which exclusive rights are claimed. 

I claim:
 1. A food process line transfer conveyor for situating between an immediately upline food process line machine and an immediately downline food process line machine, said transfer conveyor comprising: an endless conveyor belt having an upper, food-product carrying run and a lower, return run, the upper, food-product carrying run extending between an intake end and a discharge end; wherein said transfer conveyor can pivot in place to thereby give better access to all of said transfer conveyor, said immediately upline food process line machine and said immediately downline food process line machine for washing and/or maintenance operations.
 2. The transfer conveyor of claim 1, wherein: the at least one transfer conveyor comprises a base carriage and a turret pivotally mounted to the base carriage; said turret being mounted with course-changing hardware for supporting and tensioning the endless conveyor belt, said course-changing hardware including spaced nose rollers between which is defined the upper, food-product carrying run; said at least one transfer conveyor further comprises two pair of movable brackets, one pair of movable brackets for supporting one nose roller and the other pair of movable brackets for support the other nose roller; said movable brackets having extension and retraction strokes that correspondingly give the upper, food-product carrying run expanded and contracted states; said at least one transfer conveyor being scaled and configured such said at least one transfer conveyor can pivot in place between the at least one food process line machine and the at least one other food process line machine without moving either.
 3. The transfer conveyor of claim 1, further comprising: a pair of parallel tracks; and rolling riding gear for carrying the transfer conveyor, said immediately upline food process line machine and said immediately downline food process line machine, which rolling riding gear ride on the tracks whereby the transfer conveyor, said immediately upline food process line machine and said immediately downline food process line machine can be rolled into cooperative position with one another or rolled apart as for re-building a different sequence of machines for a food process line with another purpose. 